1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, energy saving control method, and medium, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that facilitates controlling providing functions in energy saving mode.
2. Background Art
Image forming apparatuses that include a thermal fusing process as an image forming process, such as multi functional peripherals (MFPs) and laser printers whose power consumption is relatively large, are equipped with energy saving mode in order to reduce their poser consumption. In energy saving mode, an apparatus on standby reduces power consumption by stopping supplying the power to functional units such as a CPU, a charging unit, and a fuser roller.
If an image forming apparatus on standby transitions to energy saving mode in order to reduce power consumption, overall power consumption can be minimized. Sometimes MFPs that include multiple functions such as copier, scanner, facsimile, and network communications function receive requests via a network in energy saving mode, and MFPs are available to respond to accesses via a network occasionally even if they are in energy saving mode.
Conventionally, a technology of setting up a device that responds only in energy saving mode to support response to network communication has been proposed. For example, a technology of determining whether or not an image forming apparatus transitions from normal mode to energy saving mode in order to transition to energy saving mode appropriately and refusing to respond to request to execute a job after the image forming apparatus has transitioned to energy saving mode has been proposed (e.g., JP-2011-142577-A.)
It is possible to transition to energy saving mode efficiently in the technology described in JP-20111-142577-A. However, the technology described in JP-20111-142577-A is incomplete since it limits usage of an image forming apparatus by users, and the functions available in energy saving mode are fixed. Therefore, it is not enough to support diversified functions and diversified usage.